Here's Something You Ought To Know About Intelligent Design

Whatyououghttoknow.com has done a fair job on the creation/evolution debate in the classroom debate.

My True Need

Once again, I was reminded of man's desperate need...the Gospel.

Last night, being on call for EMS, I responded to a "motorcycle accident" that came over my pager. I quickly responded to the Ambulance to be greeted by many other EMTs who were very concerned. These other EMTs were not just concerned because it was a motorcycle accident. They were concerned because they were fairly certain it involved a friend.

Prior to the page, our current EMS class was just registered to take their state tests. The man who helped was (I'm not certain of his exact title) a well known EMS teacher in south-west Kansas. He had just left the building 10 minutes earlier.  As a teen age driver turned in front of him causing a collision, and life came to an end quickly.

I am constantly hearing about how the Gospel can change our lives, and it can. I am constantly hearing about how God wants to save your marriage or how the Gospel can help you get off of drugs or alcohol or how the gospel can help you with your job, school or homework. Yet all of this misses the real need of man.

Bad marriages, drugs and etc, are mere fruits of a far deeper problem. Sin & Death! Sin and Death have consumed the souls of men. As Sin infiltrates a man's life, it bears its evil fruit which leads to Death. As sin enters a man's marriage. Eventually, the marriage dies. Death consumes everything sin touches. As Sin begins to express itself in drugs and alcohol, Death follows. It reveals itself in forms of dying relationships. It reveals itself in abuse against God's image bearers till the image bearer lies down in the grave.

The Death that I witnessed last evening has, as I said, reminded me of our true need. We don't need heaven or a good job or a good morality or a nice home and good parents or whatever one may think of. We need something far greater.

This Holy Week, Christians around the world will be listening to sermons about the Cross. Where one man lived a Life, a Holy Life, a Perfect Life, a Righteous Life, a Life that was perfectly pleasing to God. But even more than that, we will hear about how this One Man performed what Luther called "The Great Exchange".

Nearly two-thousand years ago, the man, Jesus Christ, bore God's wrath in behalf of His church, a church that was yet to even be formed. The man, Jesus of Nazareth, was crucified in order that the punishment due to our sin would be taken in our behalf. He suffered the Death that I so much deserved.

On Sunday, we will celebrate the prize. We will glory in the one who has done something no one has yet to truly understand. We will celebrate the gift of Eternal Life. Death no longer has a hold of me or any true Christian. Life has entered our hearts because of a historical event, the Resurrection of this same Jesus..

As I think about that man's corpse lying on the highway, I am solemnly reminded of my true need. I am ever thankful that I possess the prize. One day I will hold that prize in all of its fullness. For today I only have that prize by faith. One day, as certainly as He was raised from the dead, I will possess Him face to face.

Ponder Your Path: Make Your Calling and Election Certain

I have been blessed with a pastor that is able to preach well. Two weeks ago he preached a sermon from the text of Proverbs 4:26.

Ponder the path of your feet; then all of your ways will be certain.

I highly recommend this sermon to you. Download or listen here.

Dr. Mohler On CTC

I know many Baptists wonder how can Baptists fellowship with Confessional Presbyterians, but it does happen. Southern Baptist Seminary President, Albert Mohler, recently appeared a guest on Reformed Forum's Christ the Center's podcast with WTS President, Peter Lillback. Listen here.

During part of the conversation, both men were asked about stereo types that modern Baptists and Presbyterians have of one another. The discussion is most helpful. But what is really helpful is that both Presidents had to go through difficult times of restoring the rightful place of Scripture in their respective institutions. Although some have called the SBC cleansing a "witch hunt" (and I have no doubt that happened), it was a much needed cleasing. I am thankful that there are men such as Al Mohler who are willing to stand for the truth.

Dr. White On American Apologists

Being a member of a local church is fundamental for the Christian life. I thought this video, although dealing with apologetics per se, speaks a lot to American individualistic thinking.

Watch video here.

Psalm 60

I am sitting here this afternoon reading Psalm 60. In light of recent events in Japan this text is quite powerful. Although the text is primarily about Israel, the application I think should be obvious. Here are the beginning verses.

O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;

   you have been angry; oh, restore us.

²You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;

     repair its breaches, for it totters.

³ You have made your people see hard things;

    you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger. 4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you,

   that they may flee to it from the bow.

                         Selah

Yet even in the midst of trouble God promises to bring about man's deliverance, and ultimately He has done so in Christ.

The End Is Always Near, But Definitely Not On May 21st

Several days ago I was reminded of Harold Camping's date setting of Christ's return to be May 21 of this year. Of course, we all know this is phony baloney and has been done myriads of times before, including Camping himself in the early 90s. Yet this sort of thing will just keep happening till the end of this present evil age.

In light of recent events in Japan, my concern is for those who would be fooled by such predictions. In the book, The Case For Amillenialism, by Kim Riddlebarger, the author reminds us that earth quakes are part of the signs throughout the inter-advental age (that would be now and between the comings of Christ). That nation would rise against nation, that there would be false teachers and false prophets and so forth.

In Psalm 148, the Holy Spirit testifies to us that God created the heavens and the earth to remain in His purposes and to be established forever. Yet during events such as the tsunami in Japan, we see the holiness of God and of our deepest need. We do not need a social gospel that attempts to save our economy or help make bad sinners into better sinners. Our ultimate need is not to have a better marriage or raise good kids. We don't need a gospel that tries to  make our planet a greener planet or salvation from a fraudulent global warming hoax.

As the Psalmist states in Psalm 102,

For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink, because of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down. My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.

Yet the Holy Spirit tells us about the Son,

 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end. The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.

In conclusion, on the one hand, do not be fooled into self-deception that God's wrath is not being revealed around you because of false teachers and prophets attempting to gather cultic power unto themselves over the people of God. On the other hand, do not miss the plain revelation of God's wrath against sin in this world. As my friend Pastor Paul reminds up on his recent comments about Japan by quoting Luke 13,

“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

Let us all turn to the only hope for Mankind, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ellen Leverett

There are some people that you meet in this life that you consider a good friend. You may not know the person overly well, and yet you feel as though you do. You may not see that person very often, but when you do, you speak as though no time has passed by. You laugh and tell stories and catch up without the feeling that you're catching up. You feel as close to this person as you would your own brother or sister.

Ellen Leverett was one of those friends. Today is a day where we mourn the loss of that friend. At the age of 52, she lost her battle with cancer and in the Providence of Jesus, He decided to take her this past Wednesday. She has now entered her rest and is most certainly present with our Lord.

This morning's funeral/memorial service was a fantastic testimony to Ellen's faith in her Lord. Her husband and also another one of those "friends" stood up and gave a testimony about her faith in the resurrection of Christ and His people. He then turned and used the opportunity to remind those who had gathered that all must come to repentance and faith in Christ. In Gerald's deepest time of grief, he was still able to remember His Lord and turn to Him for comfort. As in the words of Peter in return to Jesus' question, "Do you want to go away as well?"

Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

To the family of Gerald and Ellen Leverett I want to say publicly how encouraged I am in you perseverance during a time of most difficult struggle. May the Lord our God grant you all an abundance of grace during your time of loss.

New Ice Skating Arena In Dodge City

On a personal note, today I took my two older kids to the brand new Unite Wireless Arena's open house. They both skated for about 4 hours. Here are a couple of videos. I must say, their skating has improved quite a bit. Here is the new complex.



And here are the kids skating.

I met the former New York Ranger, and currently USA Hockey Representative, Jim Johnson. He is attempting to form an actual hockey program in western Kansas. You may read about the the story here in The Dodge City Daily Globe.

I just have to say my family is quite excited to potentially be involved with hockey in western Kansas. It really is the best sport ever.

Liberalism and Death, Clouds Without Water

I remember years ago as a youth and young adult my search for religious truth. I remember going to fundamentalist churches and conservative churches and liberal churches. Now at the time I didn't know and understand the theological differences between churches. I just knew that some had total confidence in their beliefs for some unknown reason and others had mushy gushy answers that meant nothing. In this video clip from the television show ER, I am reminded of the feeling I had while sitting in what I now know was a theologically liberal church. They simply had no answer for the deep seated need I desired to be fulfilled. The only difference between this guy and myself was that he was "running out of time". But the anger he expresses is exactly what I felt.



Even to this day, I have no idea why people like this woman want to "help" people in the religious context. They don't believe anything, and even if they did, they certainly have no basis for such belief. They are as Jude describes, clouds without water.